Mom of 1 TT w/Lipo, Muscle Repair

I forgot to mention in my 8 month update that swelling is still an issue. It has gotten better over time but I do still swell throughout the day in my abdomen. It is not painful just more so a little uncomfortable. The swelling starts soon after I wake in the morning and gets worse throughout the day. I don't think there's much you can do about it. The body is still healing and it will just take time for that swelling to go away.

I'm about 8 months post op and still happy with my result. I've also kept up a healthy lifestyle. For my 40th birthday I took an amazing trip and rocked 2 piece swimsuits with confidence. My scar is still dark and a little raised in some areas. I stopped using the silagel sheeting after about 6 months or so and I have not done any scar treatments since then. I will have to do some research to see if there's anything that can help improve the scar. I will have my 1 month post op with Dr Joseph in December and I will discuss scar treatment with him as well. Updated pics attached.

It's been about 3 months since my surgery and I had my 3 months post op with Dr. Joseph yesterday. Things have been going very well. My next post op with Dr. Joseph will be at 1 year.

Exercise and Diet
I was cleared to exercise around 6 weeks post op. I started out with just walking on my treadmill at home. After about two weeks or so I started to do intervals at 1 minute run and 1 minute walk then worked my way from there to 5 minutes then 10 minutes then eventually getting back to where I was prior to surgery running three times a week 2-3 miles. I also started light strength training at 6 weeks and worked my way up to being able to lift heavier again. I bought a good quality workout belt to help make me feel secure when I'm exercising. I definitely think working out consistently prior to surgery and being in decent shape helped a lot with my recovery and being able to get back into my exercise routine. I feel great overall but am not comfortable doing any ab exercises yet. That will take a little longer. I've continued to eat healthy and have even lost an extra 5 lbs or so since surgery.

Scar
I have continued to use the silagen sheeting and bought another one at my 3 month post op. I can't say for certain it is working but I think it's probably better than not doing anything at all. So I will keep using the ones I have bought until they are no longer sticky and then that's it. The doc says it will take a year to 2 years for scars to lighten. I knew having this surgery was going to leave a huge scar and it really doesn't bother me all that much. It's not like I'm going to be walking around naked.

Recovery and Expectations
I still have soreness in my back from the lipo and Dr. Joseph says that is normal. I still swell throughout the day and use compression wear sometimes to help me feel more comfortable. I just have to be patient with my body and remember I'm still healing even if I feel and look great. I'm not going to lie and say everything is perfect. I think it's important to have realistic expectations when you get this surgery. For one, I thought I was going to have this super flat perfect stomach and that is just not the case. As I look back at before and after pics of people from different surgeons I started noticing that there is still a little bit of roundness at the top, especially if your stomach was pretty large before the surgery. Also, there is still a small bulge on my right side where the incision ended. It's not a dog ear but maybe just a little extra fat there. Dr. Joseph suggested I wait a year and see where things are and then decide if I want to do anything about it and he will take care of it. But even with these things, I am 100% happy with my decision to get the surgery and I have no regrets about choosing Dr. Joseph. Every morning I wake up and check my belly out in the mirror and I smile. I feel so much better about myself than I have in a very long time. I can't wait to celebrate my 40h birthday this year on vacation and wear whatever the heck I want to wear.

Progress pics attached!